Have you ever made your own Thousand Island Dressing? Once you try this Thousand Island Dressing Recipe, you will never buy the stuff from the grocery store again!!
Origins of Thousand Island Dressing
Anyone who has ever visited the gorgeous Thousand Island, in Upstate NY, has tried 1000 Island Dressing. Depending on what island you visited, you probably got different versions of the story of who created the popular dressing.
It is reported that George Boldt, the builder of Boldt castle and propietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in NYC, had his chef put it on the menu at the Hotel. But that is one of many stories. To learn more, see this Wikipedia article.
The beauty of making your own classic Thousand Island is that I can guarantee you that you have all of the ingredients that you will need in your refrigerator and pantry. Guaranteed. It only has 8 ingredients plus salt and pepper.
Thousand Island Dressing is similar to Russian Dressing except the Russian version has horseradish and chili powder making it spicy. Thousand Island has sweet pickle relish, making it sweeter.
You need to hard boil an egg, which will take approximately 10 minutes with a large egg. Once that is done, this Thousand Island Recipe comes together in less than 5 minutes. What could be easier?
There are no weird added ingredients that you can’t pronounce. It is gluten and dairy free, so don’t have to worry about reading the ingredients to make sure that there are none of those allergens, too. You control the sodium, as well.
What you need
- fresh garlic
- kosher salt or sea salt
- onion – use white or yellow onions
- mayonnaise – use a good quality mayo. Duke’s or Hellmann’s or a comparable mayo.
- ketchup
- lemon juice
- sweet pickle relish
- hard boiled egg
- celery seed
- black pepper – freshly ground will give you the best flavor.
How to Make Thousand Island Dressing
Mince garlic very fine.
Add a pinch of salt to garlic. Flatten with the edge of your chef’s knife, pressing hard, over and over until a thick paste forms. Chopping and pressing alternately will speed up the process.
Chop onion very fine.
Mix garlic, onion, minced egg, ketchup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and spices in a small bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes, so flavors can mingle.
Chill for at least an hour to allow flavors to mingle.
Store leftover Thousand Island Dressing in covered container in refrigerator.
How Long Will Thousand Island Dressing Last?
Thousand Island Dressing will last at least 10 days, covered, in refrigerator.
How to use this sauce
Thousand Island Dressing is used for more than to dress salads.
- Use it as a burger or hot dog topping. (It happens to be McDonald’s “secret sauce” for their Big Macs, reportedly.)
- It’s indispensable Reuben Sandwiches, Reuben Salads and this Reuben Dip.
- It’s a perfect dip for French fries or sweet potato fries.
- Use it as a dip for fresh vegetables.
I store it in canning jars. (affiliate link)
More delicious homemade dressings
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Thanks for stopping by today! I hope this recipe for Thousand Island was helpful to you!
Enjoy! And have fun cooking!
Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 large clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon finely minced onion
- 3/4 c. mayonnaise
- 3-4 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh or bottled
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 large hard boiled egg pushed through fine mesh sieve
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Hard boil egg. Place egg in small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Once water is at a full rolling boil, remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then run cold water into the pan to cool the egg. Once the egg has cooled, push 1/2 of it through fine mesh strainer.
- Make a paste with the garlic and salt by crushing the garlic with the side of your knife.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Place in refrigerator. Can be stored for 4 days in refrigerator.
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Nutrition
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Originally published January 1, 2015. Updated with new content June 26, 2022
Victoria
Made this using my homemade ketchup and it was outstanding – guest loved it
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe
Beth Neels
Thanks Victoria! I’m so pleased that you and your guests liked it. Thank you for checking out the recipe.
Riya Panday
Great taste. Not sweet tasting as bottled dressings sold in the store. Easy to make and I love it.
Binky
Thank you so much, Riya! I’m glad you enjoy it!
Jake`
Delicious on reubens!
Binky
You’ve got that right! Thanks, Jake!!
Laura
Yes, true. I have all the ingredient in the cupboard, except ketchup which I never buy. SOOOO, I am making this for Easter
Binky
We don’t use a lot of ketchup either but I always have it for those summer picnics where Americans put ketchup on EVERYTHING! Thanks for your comment, Laura! I hope your family enjoys it!
Gabby | The Tolerant Table
That’s so super simple Beth! I’ve never made my own but I’m going to try this. I love that there are no nasties in there!
Binky
It really is easy, Gabby! It’s so much better than the store bought stuff! Thank you so much for your comment!
Melve
Thanks for sharing, Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe is healthy and delicious and I think the kids will love this on their sandwiches.
Binky
My kids love it as well! Thank you for your comment, Melve!
Sandra Shaffer
Nothing is better than homemade dressing! I just made salmon patties and I’ve been eating them in salads. This dressing will be perfect. Thank you!
Binky
I agree! I love homemade dressings. It would be totally awesome with salmon patties on salad, for sure!! Thanks, Sandra!
Nicole
I’m all for making dressings and sauces from scratch! As its homemade I wont mind my kids using it so liberally!
Binky
Haha! That’s very true, Nicole! Thanks for your comment!
Elizabeth
I LOVE homemade dressings–they taste so much better than store-bought! I had no idea Thousand Island was made with a hard-boiled egg, but I’m anxious to give this a try soon!
Binky
Yes, traditionally it was made with an egg. It gives it a nice thick body! Thank you, Elizabeth!
Chris
I’ve always wanted to find a great thousand island dressing and I think I’ve just found a winner! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Binky
Thanks so much, Chris! Enjoy! Let me know how you like it!!
Ben Myhre
I love it. I haven’t seen a TI dressing recipe yet, but now this is definitely on my to try list. This looks great!
Binky
Thanks, Ben! I’m glad this helped! Do try it, you’ll love it!!
Claudia Lamascolo
you are so creative. Homemade Thousand Island? I would have never thought to make it and with the ease of your recipe I cant wait to try this!
Binky
You will love it, Claudia! Let me know! Thank you!
Natalie
I love making homemade dressings and dips – it’s always a better choice over store-bought ones. Your thousand island dressing looks and sounds delicious!
Binky
Thanks so much, Natalie! I love making my own too! Far superior!